1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and an ultrasonic image processing method of performing filtering processing for reducing only a noise component without changing the brightness of a signal component from a tissue and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ultrasonic diagnosis makes it possible that the pulsation of the heart or the movement of an embryo is displayed in real time by a simple operation of bringing an ultrasonic probe into contact with a body surface. In addition, since the ultrasonic diagnosis is very safe, the test may be repeatedly performed. In addition, the system size is small compared with other diagnostic apparatuses, such as an X ray, a CT, and an MRI, and a bedside test can also be easily performed. For this reason, it can be said that the ultrasonic diagnosis is an easy diagnostic method. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used in the ultrasonic diagnosis changes in various ways with the type of a function that the apparatus has. As a small ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that is small enough to be carried with one hand is being developed. In addition, since the ultrasonic diagnosis does not cause radioactive exposure unlike the X ray, the ultrasonic diagnosis may also be used in an obstetric treatment, a remote medical treatment, and the like.
However, when performing diagnostic imaging of a circulatory organ in a color Doppler mode using such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a drawing efficiency may deteriorate, for example, due to ruggedness of the boundary between the inside of a heart chamber and a heart wall or blackening in the normal flow. In this case, it is common to reduce such a problem by performing predetermined smoothing processing.
However, when reducing the ruggedness of the boundary between the inside of the heart chamber and the heart wall or blackening in the normal flow using a smoothing processing method, information which is effective for the diagnosis, such as a blood flow, may also be blurred.